Mission Statement

The enduring mission of The University of the West Indies is to propel the economic, social, political and cultural development of West Indian society through teaching, research, innovation, advisory and community services and intellectual leadership.

 

This mission requires UWI to:

• Provide the population of the region with access to high quality academic programmes that are effectively delivered and that help to build strong individual, national and regional capacities in response to changing human resource needs;
  
  

• Provide complementary opportunities for higher education that foster intellectual development, creative activity and selfactualisation, enhance social and interpersonal relations, and enable students to have a broader frame of reference for specialised knowledge;
  
  

• Conduct rigorous basic and applied research that serves to:

  (i) explore solutions to priority national and regional problems and challenges, (ii) create significant new knowledge,
  (iii) exploit developmental potential and comparative advantages,
  (iv) elucidate important contemporary social issues,
  (v) situate self and society in a changing world order and
  (v) provide a sound basis for public policy formulation and decision making;
  
  

• Maintain a capacity to supply a wide range of expert technical, professional and advisory services to meet the needs of regional governments and the private sector and to involve its alumni in this process;
  
  

• Assist its students and the population at large to achieve informed selfawareness
  through a deep understanding of the main economic, social, political and cultural currents that have combined to define West Indian society;
  
  

• Help the region to comprehend the nature and significance of contemporary issues and emerging global influences;
  
  

• Strive to be a significant contributor to global intellectual growth and human development by active scholarship that harnesses the creative energies, cultural diversity, social experiences, biodiversity and other assets of the region;
  
  

• Assist generally in strengthening education and training systems, at all levels, throughout the region, and aid the development of the tertiary level education system in particular;
  
  

• Assist the region to evaluate, assimilate, adapt and harness major new technologies in order to optimise potential benefits or limit negative impacts;
  
  

• Develop strategic alliances with other institutions to expand access to tertiary education, as well as the scope of teaching and research; and
  
  

• Foster an intellectually stimulating environment that can attract academic staff and students of high quality and in which ideas contend vigorously.